The background description provided herein is solely for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. Aspects of the background description are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the claimed subject matter.
Off-the-road (OTR) earth-moving vehicles are commonly used to transport large quantities of earth in various mining and other industrial applications. Such vehicles may utilize large wheel assemblies which may have multiple components. Each wheel assembly may include a wheel rim. A pair of spaced-apart, front and rear bead seat bands may be positioned on the wheel rim. An O-ring may seal the interface between the wheel rim and each corresponding bead seat band.
A pair of front and rear retainer flanges may be positioned over the respective bead seat bands. A tire may be mounted on the wheel rim between the retainer flanges. An inflation port may be provided in the wheel rim. A bead space between the wheel rim and the bead seat band may communicate with the inflation port. The interior of the tire may communicate with the bead space. Accordingly, in tire inflation, pressurized air may be introduced into the tire through the inflation port and the bead space, respectively.
The bead seat bands may be capable of sliding with respect to the wheel rim. Accordingly, a pair of front and rear lock rings may be seated in a pair of respective lock ring grooves in the wheel rim. The lock rings may prevent the bead seat bands from inadvertently sliding off the wheel rim.
A plurality of radial ports may extend through the front bead seat band on each wheel assembly. When the bead seat band is in an inflation position on the wheel rim, the radial ports may register with the O-ring between the wheel rim and the bead seat hand. In inflation of the tire, the O-ring may thus ensure that the pressurized air flows from the inflation port through the bead space and into the tire, respectively.
When the bead seat band is not in the inflation position on the wheel rim, the radial ports may communicate with the bead space such that the air flows from the inflation port to the atmosphere instead of into the tire. It may thus be necessary to position and retain the bead seat band in the inflation position on the wheel rim to ensure inflation of the tire.
Accordingly, a bead band clamp for holding a bead seat band in an inflation position on the wheel rim of a vehicle to facilitate tire inflation may be desirable for some applications.